Mechanical and Microstructural Performance of UHPC with Recycled Aggregates Modified by Basalt Fiber and Nanoalumina at High Temperatures.

This study investigates the mechanical properties and microstructure of basalt fiber (BF) and nanoalumina (NA)-modified ultra-high-performance concrete with recycled aggregates (UHPC-RA) under high-temperature conditions. The effects of different replacement rates of recycled aggregates (RAs), BF content, and NA content on the compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and elastic modulus were evaluated at ambient temperatures and after exposure to 200 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C, and 800 °C. The results show that mechanical properties decrease with temperature rise, but specimens containing BF exhibited improved crack resistance and better high-temperature integrity.

Mesenchymal cell-derived exosomes and miR-29a-3p mitigate renal fibrosis and vascular rarefaction after renal ischemia reperfusion injury.

Background: Renal fibrosis and vascular rarefaction are significant complications of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal cell-derived exosomes (hucMSC-exos) have shown potential in mitigating these conditions. This study investigates the role of miR-29a-3p in exosomes and its therapeutic effects on I/R-induced renal damage.

A CRISPR/Cas13a system based on a dumbbell-shaped hairpin combined with DNA-PAINT to establish the DCP-platform for highly sensitive detection of Hantaan virus RNA.

Rapid and sensitive detection of specific RNA sequences is crucial for clinical diagnosis, surveillance, and biotechnology applications. Currently, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is the gold standard for RNA detection; however, it is associated with long processing time, complex procedures, and a high false-positive rate. To address these challenges, we developed a novel sensing platform based on CRISPR/Cas13a that incorporates a dumbbell-shaped hairpin and DNA-PAINT for rapid, highly specific, and sensitive RNA analysis.

Compact SPR magnetic field sensor based on an inner wall waveguide fiber filled with magnetic fluid.

We propose and demonstrate a compact surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on an inner wall waveguide fiber (IWWF) for magnetic field sensing. The diameter of the central hole in the IWWF is 65 μm, which is propitious for metal deposition and infiltration of magnetic fluid (MF). We deposit a silver film on the inner surface of the IWWF by employing the silver mirror reaction method, and an evanescent field near the inner wall will excite SPR.

Performance Comparison of Liquid Chromatography and Paper Spray Ionization with Mass Spectrometry for Measuring Kinase Inhibitors in Human Plasma.

Kinase inhibitors are small-molecule drugs designed to target oncogenic mutations in cancer treatment. Although less toxic than conventional chemotherapy drugs, they can cause severe adverse effects in some patients, resulting in dose reduction and cessation. To evaluate if therapeutic drug monitoring of kinase inhibitors and their metabolites can improve toxicity assessment in patients, we developed and evaluated the analytical performance of two parallel methods utilizing liquid chromatography (LC) and paper spray (PS) ionization coupled with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (MS) for the measurement of dabrafenib, its major metabolite OH-dabrafenib, and trametinib in patient plasma samples.

Engineered Nanocatalyst-Enabled Cheolesterol Depletion for Enhanced Tumor Piezocatalytic Therapy.

The inadequate generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and metastasis of malignant tumors are critical factors that limit the efficacy of conventional sonodynamic therapy in cancer treatment. Herein, an engineered piezocatalyst: cholesterol oxidase (CHO)-loaded Pt-ZnO nanoparticles (Pt-ZnO/CHO) that can explosively generate large amounts of ROS and block the metastasis of tumor, is developed for improving piezocatalytic tumor therapy. In this process, Pt-ZnO can substantially generate ROS via initiating ultrasound (US)-triggered piezocatalytic reactions.

Development and validation of a nomogram based on preoperative factors for predicting clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula following pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Background: Clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF) remains a significant complication after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), leading to prolonged hospital stays, increased healthcare costs, and higher mortality rates. Timely recognition of patients at high risk for CR-POPF is critical for the implementation of personalized management strategies. This study aimed to develop and validate a predictive nomogram using preoperative factors to accurately predict CR-POPF after PD.

Solid and cystic intrapancreatic accessory spleen: report of 10 cases in a single institution.

Background: Precise diagnosis of intrapancreatic accessory spleen (IPAS) remains challenging due to its rarity and diverse presentations. Despite comprehensive examinations, including radiography and other diagnostic methods, the potential for malignancy cannot be excluded, often leading to unnecessary pancreatic surgeries. We review our institutional experience to provide insights for accurately distinguishing IPAS.

Evaluation of an automated assay for eosinophil-derived neurotoxin in serum.

Introduction: Eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) is a promising biomarker for eosinophil activation during inflammatory responses. Here we evaluate the analytical performance of an automated fluorescence enzyme immunoassay for EDN in serum and explore its relationship with eosinophil counts in both healthy participants and those with eosinophilic conditions.

Materials And Methods: Paired serum samples were collected from individuals for whom a complete blood count with differential was ordered.

Rapid visual detection of hepatitis E virus combining reverse transcription recombinase-aided amplification with lateral flow dipstick and real-time fluorescence.

Unlabelled: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a globally prevalent zoonotic pathogen that is primarily spread through the fecal-oral route, such as by consuming undercooked or contaminated pork. HEV infection leads to an estimated 3.3 million symptomatic cases of viral hepatitis and 70,000 deaths in human populations each year.

Cell state-dependent allelic effects and contextual Mendelian randomization analysis for human brain phenotypes.

Gene expression quantitative trait loci are widely used to infer relationships between genes and central nervous system (CNS) phenotypes; however, the effect of brain disease on these inferences is unclear. Using 2,348,438 single-nuclei profiles from 391 disease-case and control brains, we report 13,939 genes whose expression correlated with genetic variation, of which 16.7-40.

Intestinal Barrier Damage and Growth Retardation Caused by Exposure to Polystyrene Nanoplastics Through Lactation Milk in Developing Mice.

Microplastics, defined as plastic fragments smaller than 5 mm, degrade from larger pollutants, with nanoscale microplastic particles presenting significant biological interactions. This study investigates the toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) on juvenile mice, which were exposed through lactation milk and drinking water at concentrations of 0.01 mg/mL, 0.

Head pose-assisted localization of facial landmarks for enhanced fast registration in skull base surgery.

In skull base surgery, the method of using a probe to draw or 3D scanners to acquire intraoperative facial point clouds for spatial registration presents several issues. Manual manipulation results in inefficiency and poor consistency. Traditional registration algorithms based on point clouds are highly dependent on the initial pose.

Lightweight Lung-nodule Detection Model Combined with Multidimensional Attention Convolution.

Background: Early and timely detection of pulmonary nodules and initiation treatment can substantially improve the survival rate of lung carcinoma. However, current detection methods based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) cannot easily detect pulmonary nodules owing to low detection accuracy and the difficulty in detecting small-sized pulmonary nodules; meanwhile, more accurate CNN-based models are slow and require high hardware specifications.

Objective: The aim of this study is to develop a detection model that achieves both high accuracy and real-time performance, ensuring effective and timely results.

Latent profiles and determinants of postoperative sleep quality in elective surgery patients.

It is crucial to determine the potential subgroups of sleep disturbances in patients undergoing elective surgery based on the importance of symptom clusters and individual characteristics in order to develop targeted symptom management plans. This study explored the potential categories of postoperative sleep disturbances in patients undergoing elective surgery through latent profile analysis, and explored the influencing factors of each category. A total of 400 eligible elective surgery patients were included in the analysis, and three potential subgroups were identified: mild sleep disturbance group (c1 = 140,35.

Nano-sized polystyrene plastics toxicity: Necroptosis pathway caused by autophagy blockade and lysosomal dysfunction.

The persistent detection of nano-sized plastic particles in humans, animals, and animal-derived products underscores the potential impact of these particles on living organisms. Consequently, the toxicology of such particles has emerged as a pivotal research interests in recent years. In this study, NP was synthesized successfully with an average particle size of 100 nm using a emulsion polymerization method as model particles.

HDCTfusion: Hybrid Dual-Branch Network Based on CNN and Transformer for Infrared and Visible Image Fusion.

The purpose of infrared and visible image fusion is to combine the advantages of both and generate a fused image that contains target information and has rich details and contrast. However, existing fusion algorithms often overlook the importance of incorporating both local and global feature extraction, leading to missing key information in the fused image. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a dual-branch fusion network combining convolutional neural network (CNN) and Transformer, which enhances the feature extraction capability and motivates the fused image to contain more information.

EGFR and MUC1 as dual-TAA drug targets for lung cancer and colorectal cancer.

Background: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a key protein in cellular signaling that is overexpressed in many human cancers, making it a compelling therapeutic target. On-target severe skin toxicity has limited its clinical application. Dual-targeting therapy represents a novel approach to overcome the challenges of EGFR-targeted therapies.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel molecules as potent inhibitors of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1.

Tumoral immune escape is an obstacle to successful cancer therapy. Tryptophan catabolism mediated by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1) is an important mechanism of peripheral immune tolerance contributing to tumoral immune resistance, and IDO1 inhibition is an active area of drug development. Several classes of small molecule-based IDO1 inhibitors have already been reported.

The clinical significance of intraoperative lavage fluid culture during pancreaticoduodenectomy on organ/space surgical site infection.

Organ/space surgical site infection (SSI) are common after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). There is limited research on the clinical impact of intraoperative lavage fluid contamination in patients undergoing PD. One hundred five patients who underwent PD between August 2022 and July 2023 were retrospectively enrolled.

The functions and clinical implications of hsa_circ_0032462-miR-488-3p-SLC7A1 axis in human osteosarcoma.

Background: Osteosarcoma, as the most common primary malignant bone tumor, has become one of the main causes of cancer-related deaths in adolescents and children. This study thus proposes new biomarkers for OS based on whole-transcriptome re-analysis and experimental confirmation.

Methods: We find two circRNA dataset related to OS, from tissue and cell perspectives respectively, from the GEO database.

Non/Low-Caloric Artificial Sweeteners and Gut Microbiome: From Perturbed Species to Mechanisms.

Background: Non/low-caloric artificial sweeteners (NAS) are recognized as chemical additives substituting sugars to avoid caloric intake and subsequent sugar-derived diseases such as diabetes and hyperglycemia. Six NAS have been claimed safe and are authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for public use, with acceptable daily intake information available: aspartame, acesulfame-K, saccharin, sucralose, neotame, and advantame. However, the impacts of NAS on the gut microbiome have raised potential concerns, since sporadic research revealed NAS-induced microbial changes in the gastrointestinal tracts and alterations in the microbiome-host interactive metabolism.